


the gang works at a paper company

by ejworks



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office (US)
Genre: Kinda, charlie is dwight, dennis is jim, frank is michael obviously, i dont like the office so im making it better, just read it, mac is pam, macden - Freeform, office people work at paddys, slow burn baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:55:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22595884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ejworks/pseuds/ejworks
Summary: “Mac would always be the first to look up at him. You could argue that it was because his desk was closest to the door, sure. You could argue that it was a receptionists job to greet whoever walks in through said doors, of course. You could even argue that he was just that curious, if you really wanted to. It could be one of those things or a combination of many— or maybe it’s because it was always 8:02, and it was always Dennis, and Mac always failed at not caring.”Or;It’s lay-off season at Dunder Mifflin and Frank isn’t ready to let anyone go. At a last minute attempt to redeem even his worst workers, Frank orders Mac to un-jackass Dennis. Mac doesn’t think Dennis is a jackass at all.
Relationships: Mac McDonald/Dennis Reynolds
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	the gang works at a paper company

If you had asked Dennis Reynolds ten years ago where he’d see himself in ten years, Dunder Mifflin Paper Company was definitely hanging comfortably at the bottom of the list. 

Every day was the exact same. 

He’d wake up, put on some exquisitely ironed suit (because, well, just because his coworkers were animals doesn’t mean he had to be), drown out his irritation with traffic with a podcast, and punch in two and a half minutes late. He’d started this routine after about six months of employment, deciding one drunken evening that a clock could not control the man that is Dennis Reynolds, but that any later than two minutes made him look sloppy— and he was not sloppy. He’d push open not one but both of the double doors, his head tilted upwards in feigned disinterest. And thus, at 8:02 a.m, his day would begin. 

Mac would always be the first to look up at him. You could argue that it was because his desk was closest to the door, sure. You could argue that it was a receptionists job to greet whoever walks in through said doors, of course. You could even argue that he was just that curious, if you really wanted to. It could be one of those things or a combination of many— or maybe it’s because it was always 8:02, and it was always Dennis, and Mac always failed at not caring. Today was no exception. 

“Hi, Dennis!” Mac says a little too loudly, a grin spreading across his face and wrinkling his tired eyes. 

“Hello, Mac.” Dennis sighs, walking past Macs desk, being sure to give it a quick drum to show he wasn’t being entirely dismissive. 

“Tired this morning?” Mac questions eagerly, spinning in his chair in time with Dennis’ slow pace to his desk. 

Dennis shrugs off his blazer and throws it across his desk, setting his laptop down and taking a begrudging seat. He ponders Macs question for a moment, leaning back and squinting with intent.

“You know Mac, I really, really am. So tired, in fact, that I forgot to grab some coffee... Which has coincidentally made me more tired! Funny how that works, isn’t it?” Dennis says with a small smile. In that moment how knows how lucky he is to have himself. He’d feel guilty manipulating Mac this way, of course he would, if he wasn’t so damn tired. He knows all too well what’s coming. His retail voice never failed him.

“I was just about to grab some myself! I’ll get you a cup. It’s no problem at all.” Mac beams. 

One desk over, a sigh is heard. 

“Can I help you?” Dennis questions harshly, hushed, turning his attention to the person only feet away from him.

“You’re not a very good person.” The man mutters, flipping diligently through pages of a packet, refusing to look up at Dennis. 

“You know, you’re awfully concentrated on that paper for someone who can’t read.” Dennis says bitterly, eyebrows furrowing into an all too intense stare. “That’s what I’ve always admired about you, Charlie... So stupidly determined.” 

Charlie looks up only to watch Mac cross the office and disappear into the break room. He makes sure the door is closed before he speaks again. 

“Isn’t it exhausting being that evil all the time?” He presses, and Dennis laughs bitterly at his tone. 

“You know., it would be— but luckily I have a slave to get me coffee.” Dennis says with a wicked grin. He holds it until Charlie sighs in defeat. 

“Tired today?” 

Dennis’ shoulders tense. Frank usually doesn’t make his first half-assed appearance until noon. 

Mac looks down at the two mugs in his hands and shrugs. “Um, not really. Just grabbed some for Dennis.” He explains simply. 

“Well, don’t. Dennis is a jackass.” Frank grumbles. 

Dennis scrunches his face up in a what-the-fuck sort of way and spins in his chair to face them. “Mac. Coffee.” He demands simply, extending a hand out without breaking eye contact with his boss. 

“Always such a ray of sunshine, Frank.” 

“Shut up, jackass.” Frank says distractedly, looking around his room of disgruntled employees. “Attention everyone! As you all know, the holiday season is officially over, and that’s including Kwanza this time, so budget cuts are rearing their ugly heads once again. Best behavior keeps the food on the table— remember that.”

“What’s he trying to say?” Charlie whispers to Dennis, and Dennis turns his full attention to his desk mate. Say what you will about the guy, but he’s diligent in his teachings.

“I think Frank is trying to say that the possibility of getting laid off is, well, peaked— which for you is pretty much promised. You don’t do shit.”

“I do shit! I do all sorts of shit! I do shit there, I do shit here, I do shit everywhere, man!”

“No, no, Dennis is right. You don’t do shit.” Mac says with an even tone, as if he had pondered it a thousand times before.

“Dee! Tell them I do shit!” Charlie yells, whipping his head to the desk to the left of him.

“You do shit. I don’t know what it is exactly, but you do shit.” Dee agrees.

“Everyone shut up! I won’t have to fire ‘ya if you don’t fuck up, do you understand what I’m saying?” Frank reasons.

“I don’t think that’s how budget cuts work. One of us definitely has to be let go.” A voice adds from the back of the room.

“Shut up, Pete.” The five dismiss in unison.

“Well if that’s the case then obviously Dennis and I are staying. I’m great at my job and Dennis is great at just about everything, so...” Mac says as if stating the obvious.

“Dennis is a jackass, which isn’t typically an issue—“ 

“Yes it is.” Dee interrupts, eyebrows furrowing at Franks all too common ignorance. Frank just shakes his head and continues.

“But corporate will be stopping by Friday, and it probably wouldn’t hurt for him to learn how to be a little more... personable.” Frank reasons. Dennis is immediately defensive, a hand placed gently on his chest. 

“Excuse me? I’m very personable. People love me. I’m loved.” He argues.

“Who?” Frank questions sincerely, eyes focused solely on Dennis’.

“What?” Dennis laughs incredulously. 

“Who loves you?” 

“I-I don’t know! Everyone!”

“Like who? Name one.”

“Fucking, uh... Mac, help me out here.”

Mac opens his mouth to speak, but Frank is waving his hand haphazardly in his direction to silence him.

“Mac, you’re a nice guy. You teach Dennis how to do that.” Frank instructs.

“C’mon, I really don’t think that’s necessary—“

“Okay!” Mac cheers, a grin spreading across his face. “That’s a great idea!”

“Can’t you just fire me yourself?” Dennis asks helplessly.

“No.” Frank says simply, plastering a fake smile. “Get back to work. Quit dicking around.”

  
And they do.

In their own unproductive ways, the gang works. Charlie’s salesmanship over the phone is always smooth, surprising even the least judgmental of people. Dee’s budgeting is never off by a cent— even if that means she’s a bitch to anyone that gets near her to withhold her borderline psychotic concentration. Dennis’ emails are persuasive and oddly beautiful, and he does them all with a smile. Mac does whatever anyone tells him to do and he doesn’t mind it one bit— it’s good to feel needed. Hours go by the same way they always do, and before Mac can get too excited about it, it’s time for his and Dennis’ lunch.

“I’m not understanding why I’m the only one who needs an intervention here. I mean, look around! It’s a goddamn circus!” Dennis exasperates, waving his hands in the wild way only he is capable of. 

Mac looks up from his sandwich to give the other man a sympathetic smile, the fluorescent lights in the break room catching Dennis’ eyes in a way that makes Macs chest ache.

“You’re not the only one, buddy. I heard Frank talking to Dee about being a bitch yesterday. And-and last Tuesday he told Charlie to stop eating the hot printer paper!” Mac says hopefully. Dennis sighs and takes a seat next to him, his shoulders slouching in defeat.

Dennis can’t for the life of him pinpoint exactly why it was bothering him so much. Surely it’s not because he cared about what Frank thought of him, Dennis would rather die than give a shit about what Frank had to say, so then what? _Am I becoming... soft? Human?_ He shakes hishead at the thought. He’d worked at Dunder Mifflin for years, figures it was normal for him to care about his coworkers at least a little bit, but this? This was new territory. 

“I’m not a jackass. Frank is the jackass here, right? I mean, c’mon now.”

“I don’t think you’re a jackass, Dennis.” Mac says, his voice soft, laced so intricately with adoration that it almost gets tangled in his throat.

Dennis thinks in that moment that if he were normal, maybe his heart would warm underneath Macs tenderness.  “Thank you, Mac.” Is all he can muster, though, a smile tugging at his tight lips. “How do you wanna go about all this?”

Mac’s grinning now, cheeks full of sandwich, forehead wrinkling in all the places Dennis swears he hasn’t taken note of. “I was thinking of going to Paddy’s later. Wanna come with?”

”Paddy’s? Is that the place where that bitch in the tacky pencil skirt threw us out?”

”Correction— she threw _you_ out. Her name was Pam and you were being a creep.” Mac notes, lifting a finger to point at Dennis.

_Shit. Am I a jackass?_


End file.
